Next Generation Leader sponsored by GE Aviation Wales
The shortlist – click on a name to read their personal “Leadership Story”
Tanya Nash – (Sustainable Development Team Leader), City and County of Swansea
Craig Winter – (Business Manager) Arthur J Gallagher
Emma Wools – (Head of Service Integration), National Probation Service
Tanya Nash
Role: Sustainable Development Team Leader
Organisation: City and County of Swansea
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I began my career in the third sector at Groundwork where the all-female management team demonstrated a participatory and inclusive management style. This contrasted with the more hierarchical and autocratic educational environment in which I was educated and subsequently taught in, highlighting the capacity of different management styles to unlock people’s diverse potential. I was given the opportunity to develop skills and the responsibility to lead and develop a range of projects and policies, supported by a creative, empowering middle management team. This experience still shapes how I work with my teams in the public sector today.
What have been the main highlights and challenges since taking up your leadership role with the City and County of Swansea’s Sustainable Development Unit?
My role and that of my team has developed since 2004 from a project to policy focus providing a corporate lead on sustainable development and the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Highlights have been recognising my voice in key strategies and policies, hearing back the core messages that my team communicate from senior leaders within and beyond the organisation and watching the successes of my team as they influence and deliver outcomes. Challenges include a rapidly changing external policy environment which can detrimentally impact plans, systemic and structural barriers beyond organisational control and the legacy of organisational cultures of the past.
What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these highlights and challenges?
Building trust and developing good relationships is key to influencing people and achieving change. A coaching approach helps me understand people’s needs, speak their language and empower them to act effectively for mutual benefit. The effective assessment and management of risk and quick robust decisions are vital to succeed.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing leaders in Wales in 2016?
Complex change and uncertainty are the biggest issues facing Wales. From the EU referendum, to global events the long term future has the potential to change significantly depending on decisions made in 2016. This social, financial and political uncertainty can impact leaders’ ability to lead, paralysing effective decision making.
Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
Welsh Leaders I admire include Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE UWTSD, Peter Davies, former Commissioner for Sustainable Futures, Jack Straw, former CEO at the City and County of Swansea. These leaders have very different leadership styles but each has integrity, authenticity and the ability to communicate a clear vision.
What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Integrity
Craig Winter
Name: Craig Winter
Role: Head of GBS New Business
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
Entering the insurance industry at an early age and starting from the bottom allowed me to gain the experience which now allows me to guide colleagues through their own experiences in this sector.
My hunger for continuous development, completing industry standard qualifications and management courses to learn more about how I can manage my department on a daily basis has helped me tremendously. I believe that my passion to do well coupled with my desire to surround myself with the best possible people and to learn from those more experienced, is key to ensuring the continued success of our organisation.
What have been the main highlights and challenges since taking up your leadership role with Arthur J. Gallagher?
I believe in setting challenging goals at the beginning of a journey which is why it was such a great achievement to exceed expectations and build a fantastic team in Wales who have over-delivered and enjoyed doing this. We have the ability and opportunities within our team to deliver our long term goals of £1m revenue in desk-based new business division by 2018.
Highlights of my career at AJG:
- Winning the Delivering All-round Excellence award in May 2015
- Joining the Arthur J. Gallagher President’s Club in Chicago in February 2016
- Winning Insurance Institute of Cardiff Young Achiever Award 2016
What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these highlights and challenges?
I have been taken in a different direction since joining AJG and built a fantastic relationship with the leadership team in Wales – especially my direct report who has opened my eyes to a different style of management which is a unique style at AJG Wales.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing leaders in Wales in 2016?
People – your colleagues will always be the toughest part of leadership. If you get the right people with the right attitude, behaviours and motivation, then the rest is fairly straight forward.
Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
My RMD in Wales is a fantastic leader and by far the best I ever worked with. Mike Jones is dedicated, motivated and just as hungry for business now as he was 30 years ago.
I admire several other leaders as Wales has some fantastic businesses: Hayley Parsons – who I’ve been fortunate enough to meet – started GoCompare which became the UK’s largest aggregator site. She is very passionate about Wales and Welsh business and her stories of how her business has grown are fascinating.
What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Rewarding
Emma Wools
Role: Head of Offender Service Integration
Organisation: National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in Wales
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
My career in Probation has afforded me the opportunity of experiencing a diverse range of roles, all of which have helped shape my leadership style today. Working with some of the most challenging and vulnerable members of our communities has inspired my belief that through multi agency working we can effectively support and make a difference to the lives of people with complex needs. My own families experience of severe disability and reliance on the support of public services has further highlighted to me the real need for services to continue to transform through working together.
What have been the main highlights and challenges since taking up your leadership role with NOMS in Wales?
The main highlights have been:
- Seeing my team and partners achievements recognised nationally as best practice
- The willingness and commitment to working in partnership amongst public, private and voluntary sector agencies in Wales
- Collaborative and transformative partnership working leading to improvements in delivery of services to support women vulnerable to involvement with the criminal justice system
The main challenge has been:
- The pace and scale of change across public services in the context of receding budgets
What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these highlights and challenges?
I have learnt the importance of having a clear vision, building trust and investing time in working relationships and identifying areas of mutual interest amongst partners are all vital to driving forward the collaboration agenda.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing leaders in Wales in 2016?
I think the biggest issue is financial austerity, which could lead to individual organisations retreating away from investing in the development of collaborative service delivery. Encouraging organisations to ‘change together’ and take the necessary risks to allow for innovation and change in the way we deliver services will be a challenge for leaders across Wales.
Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside a number of talented colleagues and leaders throughout my career. I admire those who have shown vision, desire to innovate and the drive and energy to work across their organisational boundaries, in order to enable collaborative working.
What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Agility
Disclaimer: All details included in these leadership stories have been provided by the finalists themselves. All information has been accepted in good faith. Any references to individuals or circumstances have been relayed in the finalist’s own words and have not been verified by the Leading Wales Awards Directors or its Consortium. Any views expressed are those of the individuals concerned and are not necessarily the views of the Leading Wales Awards Directors or Consortium members.